


Stay

by pikasafire



Category: White Collar
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-14
Updated: 2011-08-14
Packaged: 2017-11-06 14:33:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/419981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pikasafire/pseuds/pikasafire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elizabeth has a gift for Neal.<br/>“You can't leave if you have a kitten,” she says because this feels awkward and a little desperate. She's better when she's blunt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay

  


**Title** : Stay  
**Rating** : G  
**Summary** : Elizabeth has a gift for Neal. _“You can't leave if you have a kitten,” she says because this feels awkward and a little desperate. She's better when she's blunt._  
**Word count** : 732  
**A/N** : For [](http://bootson.livejournal.com/profile)[**bootson**](http://bootson.livejournal.com/)  

 

*

For the week before Neal gets his tracking anklet off, Neal's touchy and overly cheery, so false that even Elizabeth can spot it a mile away. Peter's sullen and snappy. Neither of them really talking about it. Three days to go, and Elizabeth's had enough. Neal hasn't been around all week, Peter won't talk about it. Neither of them want to ask the questions that need to be asked and enough is enough.

She's jittering with nerves by the time she knocks on Neal's door, box held tightly in her hands, the box making unhappy scuffling noises and muffled meows. Neal looks surprised to see her. “Elizabeth, hi. Peter's not here.”

“I have a present for you,' she says instead because she's nervous and the kitten is getting impatient, annoyed with being stuck. She holds it out, butterflies in her stomach as Neal takes it warily, setting it gently on the floor before kneeling beside it, taking the lid off carefully.

He stares at the kitten. Then up at her, baffled uncertainty on his face.

“It's for you,” she says unnecessarily, as the pause stretches.“You can't leave if you have a kitten,” she adds because this feels awkward and a little desperate. She's better when she's blunt.

Neal starts a little at her confession, but smiles, a genuine happy smile down at the mewling black fuzz-ball in the box. “Hey buddy,” he whispers to it, scooping it up gently in his hands, cradling it to his chest. It squirms a little, trying to find a comfortable spot, it's tiny claws hooking into his shirt. “You're so tiny.”

“She's eight weeks,” Elizabeth says, “A little young to be taken away, but I had a friend who was desperate. I have a box in the car with all the stuff she needs, but-” She hesitates. “I wasn't sure if you'd want to keep her.” There's about a million things not being said and Neal looks up from where he's kneeling on the floor, his expression open and overwhelmed.

“I-” he glances down at the kitten, who's trying to detangle her claws so she can bat at Neal's tie. He swallows. “Thankyou.” he says instead, quiet acceptance.

Elizabeth takes a breath she didn't realise she was holding, feeling like a weight of bricks has been lifted from her chest. “You're welcome,” she murmurs, moving to kneel beside him, “You seemed more like a cat person than a dog person.”

“I'd always wanted one,” Neal smiles, a little self-deprecating. “I've never stayed in one place long enough.” He rubs his fingers over along the soft fur of the kitten's fur with more concentration than it warrants. “I figured one day – with Kate. Y'know, the house, the kids. Pets.”

Elizabeth's not sure how to respond to that so she reaches out, pets the kitten gently as it valiantly tries to climb Neal, meowing noisily. “I asked June before I got her. She said she though you could use some company up here.”

It's unsubtle. June wants you to stay. Stay for the kitten. Stay for _us_

“It can get quiet,” Neal admits, sets the kitten down so she can explore, she makes it barely three steps before she discovers Neal's shoelaces, attacking them furiously.

“So, you like her? You'll keep her?” _You'll stay?_ hanging unspoken between them.

Neal reaches over, pushes a bit of stray hair back from her face, brushing a kiss against Elizabeth's cheek, just on the corner of her mouth.

“I love her,” he says quietly, “Thank-you.”He scoops the kitten up from where she's now investigating the box she came in, holds her up to eye-level and regards her solemnly. “I'm going to call you Matisse.”

“Bring her around, next week.” _After the anklet's off_ “We'll introduce her to Satchmo and make Peter cook dinner.” It's a carefully crafted invitation, _you're here, you're wanted, don't leave._

“Yeah,” the smile Neal gives her is bright and happy and Elizabeth knows he understands, “yeah, sounds good.”

END

MATISSE:

[ ](http://s766.photobucket.com/albums/xx305/pikasafire/?action=view&current=black-kitten-8.jpg)

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End file.
